The New York Times has made mention of the fact that archaeologists at the Oriental Institute discovered an inscribed stone monument at the Syrian border that refers to the concept of the “soul.”

The inscription on the monument was translated by Dennis Pardee, professor in the department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. It reads in part:

“I, Kuttamuwa, servant of [the king] Panamuwa, am the one who oversaw the production of this stele for myself while still living. I placed it in an eternal chamber [?] and established a feast at this chamber: a bull for [the god] Hadad, a ram for [the god] Shamash and a ram for my soul that is in this stele.”

The culture’s Semitic contemporaries considered the body and soul inseparable. This discovery could shed light on the cultural dynamics of the eighth century. Read more at the New York Times.

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